life sentence
noun
plural life sentences
: a sentence of imprisonment for the remainder of a convicted person's life when there is no possibility of parole or for a minimum number of years under applicable law until the convicted person becomes eligible for and is granted parole
Examples of life sentence in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In 2025, Vallow Daybell was handed two more consecutive life sentences after being convicted in Arizona for earlier plotting to kill her fourth husband and attempting to murder her niece's ex-husband.
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N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 31 May 2026
Adam Dees — convicted of murder in the deaths of an elderly couple and their son in 2015 — died while serving his life sentences at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, the state’s prison system told the Idaho Statesman.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2026
Messina Denaro, the head of Sicily's Castelvetrano clan, who had six life sentences to his name, died in prison a few months after his arrest at age 61.
—CBS News, 28 May 2026
Nine others were recently given life sentences for collaborating with Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 28 May 2026
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N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 31 May 2026
Adam Dees — convicted of murder in the deaths of an elderly couple and their son in 2015 — died while serving his life sentences at Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, the state’s prison system told the Idaho Statesman.
—Alex Brizee, Idaho Statesman, 29 May 2026
Messina Denaro, the head of Sicily's Castelvetrano clan, who had six life sentences to his name, died in prison a few months after his arrest at age 61.
—CBS News, 28 May 2026
Nine others were recently given life sentences for collaborating with Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
—Dominic Dudley, semafor.com, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for life sentence
Cite this Entry
“Life sentence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/life%20sentence. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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